Consider this my initial outlook into the Best Picture race for the 97th annual Academy Awards, which will be celebrating and awarding their choices for the best in film from 2024. I’ve presented all 50 films, via 10 tiers, that I have on my radar at the outset of the campaign, and during the extremely early part of the awards season. If you want more detailed thoughts on my thinking on why I believe a certain movie may currently be a contender, and why I have them placed where I do in the running, look out for my much more in-depth piece on the matter that might be over at Ordinary Times by the time this is published.
TIER 1: THE INITIAL FRONT-RUNNERS
01. Dune: Part Two
02. Sing Sing
03. Blitz
04. Megalopolis
05. Conclave
TIER 2: THE INTIAL HEAVYWEIGHT CONTENDERS
06. The Supremes At Earl’s All-You-Can-Eat
07. The Nickel Boys
08. The Piano Lesson
09. Queer
10. Joker: Folie à Deux
TIER 3: THE INITIAL “ON THE BUBBLE” SERIOUS CONTENDERS
11. Furiosa: A Mad Max Saga
12. Gladiator II
13. Wicked Part One
14. Kinds Of Kindness
15. The Apprentice
TIER 4: THE INITIAL LONG SHOTS ON VERGE OF BEING TAKEN SERIOUS
16. His Three Daughters
17. The Room Next Door
18. Here
19. Juror No. 2
20. The Bikeriders
TIER 5: THE INITIAL LONG SHOTS WITHIN STRIKING DISTANCE
21. Didi
22. A Real Pain
23. SNL 1975
24. The Fire Inside/Flint Strong
25. Challengers
TIER 6: THE INITIAL VIABLE CONTENDERS WITH A SLIM PATH
26. Maria
27. The Outrun
28. Anora
29. Emmanuelle
30. Parthenope
TIER 7: THE INITIAL VIABLE CONTENDERS SEARCHING FOR A PATH
31. A Different Man
32. Exhibiting Forgiveness
33. We Live In Time
34. The History Of Sound
35. The End
TIER 8: THE INITIAL ATYPICAL CONTENDERS WITH A SLIM PATH
36. Civil War
37. Hit Man
38. Monkey Man
39. Nosferatu
40. I Saw The TV Glow
TIER 9: THE INITIAL ATYPICAL CONTENDERS SEARCHING FOR A PATH
41. Twisters
42. Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 1
43. Horizon: An American Saga Chapter 2
44. The Lord Of The Rings: The War Of The Rohirrim
45. The Wild Robot
TIER 10: THE INITIAL LONGEST OF LONG SHOTS
46. Inside Out 2
47. Piece By Piece
48. Beetlejuice Beetlejuice
49. Kingdom Of The Planet Of The Apes
50. Mufasa: The Lion King
OTHERS TO POTENTIALLY KEEP AN EYE ON
Alien: Romulus; Back To Black; Bird; Better Man; Bob Marley: One Love; Brief History Of A Family; Ella McCay; Emilia Perez; Hamnet; Long Day’s Journey Into Night; Love Lies Bleeding; Mother Mary; Nightbitch; Oh Canada; Pedro Paramo; Polaris; Problemista; Sasquatch Sunset; Shirley; The Brutalist; The Actor; The Collaboration; The Fall Guy; The Imaginary; The Magnificent Life Of Marcel Pagnol; The Way Of The Wind; White Bird; Wildwood; Woman Of The Hour; Young Woman And The Sea
